Confessions
by Sarah9
Summary: Luke makes a confession (LL). Please read the summary for more information! Read, review, and enjoy! I have edited the first chapter since yesterday, and added chapter 2.
1. Default Chapter

Confessions (1/3)  
  
By: Sarah  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Gilmore Girls or any of the characters or storylines. Just this little story below :)  
  
Rating: Oh... PG to PG-13. I'm not really sure yet...  
  
Spoilers: Season 4 (particularly the episode aired on February 17-- I would include the episode name, but I can't remember what it was...)  
  
Summary: Luke makes a confession to Lorelai (L/L, obviously). And just a note... I only started watching the Gilmore Girls in the 4th season, so if any of the character/plot information is incorrect, I apologize. I just needed to get this story out of my system :) This will probably only be a two or three part story, since I'm not good at keeping up with anything longer than that. Please read and review! I'd love to know what everyone thinks!!  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lorelai hadn't said a word since she had broken down—since she had buried her face in Luke's chest and cried her heart out. Without a word, Luke let her cry. He had done his best to comfort her, murmuring reassurances and rubbing her shoulders, as he pulled her toward the warmth of his body.   
  
This was virtually unexplored territory for Luke. He was not an intimate person. Not even with Nicole. He didn't walk around hugging people, or shaking the hand of every new person he met. He was Luke. The guy who always had a cynical comment to share. When it came to comforting a crying woman, he was about as clueless as they came.  
  
But this was Lorelai. And she was hurting.   
  
She continued sobbing, gasping for breath as her tears soaked through his shirt. He didn't know what else to do but hold her. He leaned down, placing a gentle, feather-light kiss on the crown of her head, whispering that it would be okay.  
  
And he let her cry.   
  
Finally, Lorelai's tears died down and she moved in his arms. She lifted her head up, sniffing and running a hand across her eyes to wipe away her tears. The hand remained, spread across her eyes, and covering the evidence of her breakdown.   
  
"I'm sorry," she said after several moments, her voice harsh from crying. "You have your own problems. You don't need me adding mine. You've got Liz and Jess to worry about." Her words were coming quickly. "You work all day at the diner. You don't need to hear about my problems." She shook her head distractedly. "It's just an inn. It's just $30,000 . It's not that much. I mean, who says I can't come up with $30,000? It can't be that hard. It can't be—"  
  
"Lorelai—" Luke said, raising his voice slightly to cut her off. "Stop it. Just calm down, okay?"  
  
Lorelai stopped, breathing deeply. But the tears had started again, and she lowered her head into her lap.   
  
Hesitantly, Luke reached over to rest his hand on her back. "Listen," he said. "Stop freaking out and listen to me. First of all, it's not just an inn. It's your inn—it's been your dream for God knows how long. And I won't let you give up on it."   
  
Lorelai sniffed, her face still hidden in her lap. But the tears had stopped, and Luke breathed a silent sigh of relief. He couldn't stand seeing her cry.  
  
"And," he continued. "You don't need to worry about money. Before you cut me off with your ranting, I was going to tell you that I'd gladly lend you the money."  
  
He felt her stiffen at his words, and slowly she lifted her head to look at him.  
  
"Luke," she said, her eyes red. "I can't ask you to do that."  
  
"You didn't," he replied. "I volunteered."  
  
"But why? Why would you do that?" She asked. "It's your money—you earned it. Don't you have more important things to use it for?"  
  
"No," Luke answered simply. "I can't think of anything more important. I want to do this. For you." Lorelai opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "And I'm not going to argue with you about it. It's done." He smiled. "Consider me your first long-term investor."  
  
Lorelai stared at him for several moments, speechless for the first time since he could remember. Without a word, she reached out, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to her. He cleared his throat awkwardly, startled by her gesture, before wrapping his own arms around her. Rubbing her back gently, Luke inhaled, breathing in the scent that was purely, uniquely Lorelai. Today, it was something like a combination of rose and lilac—some new perfume she had just bought, no doubt.  
  
The smell was heady—intoxicating. Before he realized it, Luke found himself relaxing into her embrace, smiling as her head moved to rest on his shoulder. This was what he wanted. This is what he dreamt about at night. Lorelai. His Lorelai.   
  
Of course, he had never admitted it to anyone, but he had loved her for a long time. He loved everything about her—her strange quirks, her obsession with coffee. Her eyes. Her hair. Her heart.   
  
But he had never told her. He had always avoided the subject, telling himself that it wouldn't work out. That he didn't want to ruin their friendship. But those, of course, weren't the real reason he had buried his feelings for Lorelai Gilmore.  
  
He was afraid—terrified that she wouldn't feel the same way.  
  
"Luke…" Lorelai interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah?" he responded, his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"You don't know how much this means to me," she continued, her own voice more serious than he was used to. "How much you mean to me…"  
  
Luke tensed at her last statement, pulling away from her.  
  
He was important to her. Of course, he had realized that they meant a lot to each other, but every time he heard it—straight from the horse's mouth, so-to-speak—it sent a thrill up his spine.  
  
"Yeah," he said, unable to meet her eyes. "Well, the feeling's mutual…" he muttered. He could sense her smiling next to him, but when he finally mustered up the courage to look over at her, he was surprised again by the seriousness in her eyes. Something was going on in that mind of hers, and he wasn't quite sure whether he wanted to know what it was or not.  
  
"Are you okay?" Luke asked hesitantly.  
  
Lorelai shook her head. "No… but I will be. The pressure had just built up so much that it was bound to explode and hit somebody. You were the lucky one." She paused. "I should have told someone before now."  
  
"You didn't?" Luke asked, frowning. "Not even Sookie? Rory?"  
  
"No. Well, not until today. Now everyone knows. Sookie, my parents, you... everyone except Rory."   
  
Luke noticed her lips tighten at the mention of her daughter's name. He knew that he was her second choice tonight—that she had wanted Rory—had needed the comfort of her daughter.   
  
"You know she would be here if she knew." Luke said softly. Lorelai looked away, brushing at a few stray tears that had escaped down her cheek.   
  
"I know," she said finally, returning her eyes to Luke's. "I just miss her."  
  
He nodded, and they looked at each other a few moments longer, before Lorelai shivered involuntarily, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.   
  
"You're cold," Luke said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.  
  
"Astute observation," she muttered, finally forcing a smile.  
  
"Want me to walk you home?" He asked, surprised at how nervous he was to hear her answer.  
  
"Sure," she said standing up with a sigh and grabbing her purse, which had long ago been dropped to the ground.  
  
They started walking slowly in the direction of her house, Luke's hands shoved deeply into his pockets as he watched Lorelai from the corner of his eye. She was beautiful. Her eyes were a little puffy and red, and her cheeks were tearstained, but she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  
  
He found himself wondering why he had never told her before…that she was beautiful. In fact, he wondered why he hadn't told her a lot of things lately.   
  
…that he hadn't moved in with Nicole.  
  
…that, in fact, they had broken up only a few weeks ago.  
  
But most importantly, he hadn't told her why he had broken up with Nicole.  
  
"You know," Lorelai said, interrupting his thoughts. "I talked to Liz before she left."  
  
Luke raised his eyebrows, wondering what had brought that comment on. "Yeah?" He asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice. She was obviously trying to move the subject away from her financial troubles.  
  
"Yeah," she continued. "I thanked her for the earrings."  
  
"Oh?" Luke said, realizing where she was going with the conversation.  
  
"Mmhmm. She made kind of an interesting comment." Lorelai looked over at him, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. He waited for her to continue, but she remained silent, watching him with a slight grin.  
  
"And what was that?" Luke prompted her, though he already knew what she would say.  
  
"Oh…she just thought it was, well, interesting that you had given the earrings to me, instead of Nicole. You know. That's kind of weird." Lorelai continued to watch him, but Luke remained silent, feigning disinterest. "So," Lorelai asked. "What's up? Why didn't you give them to Nicole?"  
  
Luke frowned, trying to think up an acceptable answer. "They weren't Nicole's style."  
  
Lorelai chuckled. "No?"  
  
"No. She's kind of…conservative when it comes to that kind of stuff. And you…well…you're anything but conservative."  
  
"Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed, pretending to be insulted.  
  
"You know what I mean," he said, annoyed. "You like…shiny stuff like that…" Luke trailed off, realizing how transparent his answer was.  
  
"You suck at lying, Luke." Lorelai stopped walking and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. He returned her stern look for several seconds before breaking eye contact and directing his attention to an invisible point further up the deserted street.  
  
"Fine. We broke up. Okay? We broke up, and she moved to New York." The words came out more harshly than he had intended, and Lorelai's eyes widened in shock.   
  
"What? When?"  
  
"A few weeks ago." Luke answered curtly.  
  
"I'm sorry…" Lorelai said. She stood in silence for a few moments, before her curiosity got the best of her. "So what happened? Why did you break up? I thought you were going to try the whole marriage thing."  
  
"Well, it wasn't working," Luke said resignedly. "We just weren't meant to be together. Not like that, anyways. And there were aspects of our relationship that Nicole couldn't handle, but that I wasn't willing to give up…" Luke trailed off.  
  
"Like what?" Lorelai asked. "And please don't say fishing…"  
  
"Not fishing." Luke said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"You can tell me," she continued. "I promise that I won't blab to the entire town. Just Rory. And maybe Sookie. Of course, if Sookie knows, then Jackson will find out by default, because we all know that Sookie can't keep a secret—"  
  
"Lorelai!" Luke snapped, cutting her off. "It's not important."  
  
"Sure it is… you don't want to talk about it. That makes it important."  
  
"Lorelai—" Luke started. "Just drop it, okay?"  
  
"C'mon. Please?"  
  
"No."   
  
"Pretty please?"  
  
"No!" Luke snapped, annoyed.  
  
"With a cherry on top?" She whined, her eyes wide, pleading with him. "And whipped cream? And those rainbow colored sprinkles? And hot fudge—"  
  
"Lorelai—"  
  
"Come on, Luke," Lorelai sighed, frustrated. "Just tell me! What weren't you willing to give up to be with Nicole?"  
  
"Fine!" Luke shouted. "If it'll make you shut up!" He moved away from her, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "It was you, Lorelai! I wasn't willing to give you up!"  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. confessions part 2

Confessions (2/3)  
  
A/N: I hope you guys like this second chapter. It went in a totally different direction than I had originally anticipated. But hey. I do what my muse tells me. Also, If you have the time, please re-read part 1 of this story. I changed it slightly. No major plot changes or anything, but just some additions to (hopefully) address some of the reviews I received. Don't know if the changes will help at all, but at least I tried :) And thanks for the reviews!! You guys are great :)   
  
* * * * * RECAP * * * * *  
  
"Lorelai—" Luke snapped.  
  
"Come on, Luke," Lorelai sighed, frustrated. "Just tell me! What weren't you willing to give up to be with Nicole?"  
  
"Fine!" Luke shouted. "If it'll make you shut up!" He moved away from her, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "It was you, Lorelai! I wasn't willing to give you up!"   
  
* * * * * END RECAP * * * * *  
  
Luke regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.  
  
Well, not the words themselves, but the fact that he had said them in the first place. He had been angry—annoyed by Lorelai's constant badgering, and they had slipped out before he had even realized what he was saying.  
  
His heart stopped in his chest as her mouth fell open, and her eyes widened in shock. She obviously hadn't been expecting that response from him.  
  
They stood in silence for several seconds longer, neither really sure what to say. Finally, Lorelai cleared her throat, the shock still evident in her face.  
  
"Um…" she said, her voice hesitant. "I thought you were going to say the diner—that she wanted you to give up the diner…" Her voice trailed off, and she directed her attention to her feet.  
  
Silently, Luke berated himself. Of course she would assume that he was talking about the diner. That made the most sense. Nicole had never been fond of where he worked. Of course that would be the first thing that Lorelai would think of. Why else would she bug him about it. He knew her better than that. She wouldn't badger him so relentlessly if she had thought it was something really personal—something he was really uncomfortable talking about. She had thought he was being his usual, stubborn self. Well, it didn't matter now.   
  
Luke sighed, realizing that he had yet to explain what he had said. And he realized, with both relief and a strange sense of disappointment, that he still had an out.  
  
"Yeah…" he muttered. "You know…we're good friends, and we spend a lot of time together. More time than Nicole would have liked, apparently. She said she felt threatened by you, and that I saw you more than I saw her. She came to the diner one day and told me to stop spending time with you—to avoid you." Luke paused, thinking of the best way to continue. "I refused, obviously. I value our friendship more than that, Lorelai. And I wasn't willing to give it up."  
  
Lorelai nodded. "Right. Our friendship." Her voice was soft, almost disappointed. "Well, I'm glad you refused. Where would I have gotten my coffee?" She laughed, but the laugh was hollow. Reluctantly, she brought her eyes back up to meet his, and he was shocked by the sadness he saw there. They held the same look now as they had that night when he had given her the earrings. When she had realized that they were a present from Liz, and not from him.  
  
Luke frowned at the look, wondering exactly what it meant.   
  
He felt sick. He knew that he had taken the coward's way out of the situation, and he hated himself for it.   
  
Of course his words hadn't been totally false. He did value their friendship. That went without saying. He didn't want jeopardize that friendship—to lose contact with her, or with Rory for that matter. But that was exactly why he couldn't tell her the truth. Why he hadn't told her the truth since the first day he had fallen for her. He couldn't risk losing her.  
  
"Well," Lorelai said, her voice pulling him back to reality. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for you guys."  
  
Luke shook his head. "It was never really there to begin with." He sighed. "Ready to head home?"  
  
"You know what?" Lorelai said. "I think I'm gonna walk for awhile."  
  
Luke frowned. Something had changed in her voice. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. "Want me to walk with you?"  
  
"No." She said, too quickly. "I'm fine. I just need to think for awhile. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
  
Luke nodded. "Sure. Goodnight."  
  
"Night," Lorelai murmured. Without another word, she walked away. He watched her disappear down the street, his heart and his brain demanding two different things. He wanted to go after her. But he needed to think things through. To make sure that he made the right decision. For Lorelai. For Rory. For himself. Grumbling to himself, he turned around and headed to the diner.   
  
He needed someone to talk to.   
  
It was hard for him to admit that he needed someone—even to himself. Most problems he could handle on his own. But he was in love with his best friend—had been for years. And that was definitely something he'd like to talk to someone about.   
  
He briefly considered calling Jackson, but he realized that anything he told Jackson would, one way or another, find its way back to Sookie, and eventually to Lorelai. He even considered calling Rory, but realized that she had her own problems. And she definitely wasn't an impartial audience.   
  
Luke realized, unhappily, that the one person he would normally talk to about something this serious was the one person he couldn't talk to.   
  
Lorelai.  
  
He swore under his breath. It looked like he would have to figure this one out on his own. Restlessly, Luke began pacing behind the counter.   
  
He knew he had made the wrong decision tonight, lying to Lorelai about what he had really meant. Sure, his words were spoken in the heat of the moment. Sure, he hadn't meant for them to slip out like they had. But that didn't change the fact that he had lied. To the one person that mattered most to him.   
  
And she had knew that he hadn't told her the truth. She was smart. Way smarter than he was most of the time. She had seen right through him. He had seen the hurt in her eyes, and he had wanted to take her in his arms and confess everything to her.   
  
But he hadn't.   
  
Why?   
  
Because he was a coward.  
  
The thought made him angry, and he slammed his hand on the counter, wincing at the pain it caused. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.   
  
Really, it all came down to one question. Could he live the rest of his life without telling Lorelai how he felt about her? Because his feelings obviously weren't going away. If anything, they were growing stronger. Every time he saw her, talked to her, dreamed about her, he loved her all the more.  
  
Could he live with it if she didn't feel the same way?  
  
No.  
  
But could he live with not knowing?  
  
Not anymore.  
  
And, with that, his decision was finally made. He knew what he had to do. Without another thought, and before he lost his nerve, he left the diner, and headed in the direction of Lorelai Gilmore's house.  
  
To Be Continued... 


	3. confessions 3

Confessions (3/3)  
  
A/N: Hey everyone. Here's the third part of the story. I hope the characters are still accurately portrayed... I tried my best. Also, I hope the whole phone conversation with Rory makes sense to everyone. I wanted to do a one-ended phone conversation, because it was more fun that way, but if it's confusing, please let me know, and I'll try to make it a little clearer. Anyways, please let me know what you think! I love the reviews! And thanks for all the wonderful reviews from the last chapter. You guys are sweet!!  
  
* * * * * RECAP * * * * *  
  
Really, it all came down to one question. Could he live the rest of his life without telling Lorelai how he felt about her? Because his feelings obviously weren't going away. If anything, they were growing stronger. Every time he saw her, talked to her, dreamed about her, he loved her all the more.  
  
Could he live with it if she didn't feel the same way?  
  
No.  
  
But could he live with not knowing?  
  
Not anymore.  
  
And, with that, Luke's decision was finally made. He knew what he had to do. Without another thought, and before he lost his nerve, he left the diner, and headed in the direction of Lorelai Gilmore's house.  
  
* * * * * END RECAP * * * * *  
  
Luke arrived at Lorelai's house a few minutes later, and walked quickly up to the front door. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he knocked loudly on the door. He waited several seconds for Lorelai to answer, and when she didn't he began to pace restlessly back and forth across the length of the porch.   
  
After a few more minutes, she still hadn't answered, and Luke stopped pacing just long enough to knock again. After what seemed like an eternity with no answer, Luke accepted the fact that Lorelai wasn't there, and that she was probably still out walking somewhere. He muttered some choice words under his breath, wondering how long it could take to walk anywhere in Stars Hollow. You could see the whole town in 15 minutes.  
  
His anger was irrational, and he knew it. Really, he was afraid he'd lose his nerve. That he'd wimp out and leave before Lorelai even knew he'd been there. When he had visualized his plan, he had assumed that she would answer the door right away. Like she usually did. Waiting left him time to think—left time for his brain to continue the fight with his heart. And he had realized tonight that this was one fight he didn't want his brain to win.   
  
Luke briefly considered returning back tomorrow, but he knew that would be the worst thing to do. That would give him a whole night to think, to overanalyze, and to talk himself out of what he was about to do.   
  
No, he resolved. He would stay here, and he would wait as long as it took. Lorelai had to come back sometime.   
  
And he would be there waiting.  
  
Finally tired of pacing, he lowered himself onto the porch steps, resting his elbows on his knees. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths, aggravated at himself for being so nervous. Sure, admitting his feelings to Lorelai would change everything—no matter how she responded.   
  
But he had to take the leap.   
  
As lost in his thoughts as he was, Luke failed see Lorelai walking down the street towards the house. He didn't notice her until she climbed the steps to her porch. He jerked his head up and rose from the porch swing.  
  
"Lorelai—" Luke said, moving towards her.  
  
"Oh my God!" Lorelai spun to face him, brandishing her purse in front of her, apparently meant to be used as a makeshift weapon. "Luke!" She gasped, letting her arms fall to her sides. "You scared me! I thought you were a murderer!"  
  
"And you were going to defend yourself with your purse?" Luke stated.   
  
"Hey! I have pepper spray in here. This purse is a deadly weapon," Lorelai said defensively. Luke studied her for a moment, taking in her appearance. She was gorgeous—her arms wrapped around herself, and her cheeks rosy from the cold. Beautiful. And she wasn't even trying.   
  
It wasn't until his traveled up to meet her own that he realized she had been crying again. He moved towards her, frowning. Lorelai backed away when she realized that he had seen the evidence of her tears.  
  
"What are you doing here, Luke?" Lorelai asked, turning away and fumbling in her purse for the keys to the front door.   
  
Luke ignored the question, moving hesitantly towards her.  
  
"You were crying again," he said, more a statement than a question. Lorelai stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob. Luke waited, but she didn't respond.   
  
"Was it because of me?" Luke asked, gently resting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"No." Lorelai answered snapped. "Of course not. It's the Inn." She paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "It's always the Inn. Or Sookie, or Rory, or my parents. It's always something. But it's never you, Luke. It's never, ever you…" Her words were sharper than he expected, and he wasn't sure how to respond. But then, he felt her shoulder tremble, and he realized that she was crying again.  
  
Silently, Luke reached around her body, grabbing her hand in his, and turning her to face him.  
  
"You're lying," he said, his voice low, barely a whisper.  
  
"No I'm not—" Lorelai started, wiping away her tears with the back of her free hand.  
  
"Yes. You are. " Luke reached up and ran his thumbs along her wet cheeks. His nervousness had returned. Only a few seconds ago it would have been so easy to wrap her in his arms, and to leave the conversation at that. To abandon what he had come here to say. But not now. "I know when you're lying. I can see it in your eyes." He continued. "It is about me. And I'm sorry. But I lied tonight, too."  
  
Lorelai's eyes met his, and she frowned in confusion. "What?" She asked.  
  
"I lied to you. When I said that I wasn't willing to give up our friendship."  
  
"That wasn't true?" Lorelai asked, as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.   
  
"No. Not exactly. That was only part of the reason." Luke backed away, leaving a few feet of space between them as he ran a hand through his hair. Lorelai watched him, still confused.  
  
"So…what? We're not friends?" She asked, her voice wavering.  
  
Luke heard the hurt in her voice, and berated himself for saying the wrong thing. He was horrible when it came to saying how he felt. "No! No…" He said quickly. "I mean, yes. We are friends. That's not what I meant." Luke sighed, frustrated with himself. "I meant to say that I left Nicole for a different reason… I left her because you're more than a friend to me."   
  
Finally, the truth was out. Luke breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't bring himself to face her—not until he had said everything he needed to say. "You're a lot more than a friend to me. You have been for a long time."  
  
Lorelai stared at him, shocked. "What? What are you saying?"  
  
But Luke was on a roll. Now that the floodgate had opened, he couldn't stop talking—couldn't stop saying the things that had gone unsaid for so long.  
  
"Nicole could sense it," he continued. "She could sense that you meant more to me than I was letting on. But I couldn't tell you. For so long I didn't say anything because you mean so much to me. You and Rory. You're my family. You're more of a family to me than Liz or Jess have ever been. I didn't want to lose our friendship. I didn't want to say something that would drive you out of my life."  
  
Luke paused for breath. Hesitantly, he turned to meet Lorelai's eyes. She was still watching him, slowly absorbing everything that he had just said. "Lorelai…" Luke said, taking a step towards her. "I don't want to be just friends anymore."  
  
Lorelai blinked. "What?"   
  
"Didn't you hear me?" Luke asked, exasperated. "Because I don't think I have the nerve to repeat all of that again."   
  
Lorelai shook her head. "No… I heard what you said. It's just...hard to process. I mean, you're my best friend."  
  
Luke nodded. "I know. I probably shouldn't have brought it up." He paused, and they looked at each other in silence. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He'd just poured his heart out to her, something he rarely, if ever, did with anyone. And she hadn't really said anything.  
  
"Can I just ask you one question?" He said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Why were you so against me moving in with Nicole?"   
  
Lorelai looked away, considering the question only briefly. "Because," she responded softly. "I didn't want to lose you."   
  
Luke nodded, and let the statement hang in the air for a moment. He had said his piece. She had to make this decision on her own.  
  
"So…" she said, finally. "Does this mean that you… that you…" she gestured between the two of them, unable to say the words.  
  
"Love you?" He asked, his face serious. He realized that it was the first time he had ever said those words aloud, and he enjoyed the feeling. Smiling, he nodded. "Yes. That's what it means."  
  
"You love me?" Lorelai hesitated, bringing her eyes up to lock with his. "Or you're in love with me? Because those two statements can have very different meanings."  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "You know which one I mean, Lorelai."  
  
And finally, she smiled. The full-fledged Lorelai smile that Luke had come to love so much. He felt relief wash over him. With that smile, he knew that everything between them was going to be okay.  
  
"Well. This comes as quite a shock, Mr. Danes." Lorelai said, feigning shock.  
  
"Not for me," he replied. "I've known for years."  
  
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Lorelai asked, watching as he slowly moved towards her.  
  
"Because I'm a coward," he said, his eyes meeting hers.   
  
"A chicken…" Lorelai said.  
  
"Yeah," Luke murmured, taking another step towards her.  
  
"A scaredy cat…"   
  
"That's me." Luke replied.  
  
"A sissy…" Lorelai said with a giggle.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Luke said, giving her a stern look.  
  
Lorelai's eyes turned upwards as she searched for another word. "Oh!" She said, grinning in triumph. "A yellow-bellied, lily-livered—"  
  
"Lorelai," Luke said, cutting her off." "I get the picture."  
  
He moved yet another step closer to her, close enough to smell her perfume, to see the tiny flecks of green in the blue of her eyes. He could lose himself in those eyes.  
  
"I can't believe that the diner man likes me," Lorelai said teasingly. "I'm gonna get so much free coffee!"  
  
"Well, at least I know your priorities," Luke murmured.  
  
"But it's true, isn't it? Because, if I don't get free coffee, I really don't see this relationship having a future…"  
  
Luke rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "You know what?" He said, moving his face to within inches of hers.   
  
"What?" She responded, her eyes drifting down to his lips.   
  
"You talk too much," he whispered, before gently lowering his lips to hers. He felt her shiver as their lips met, and couldn't help the similar reaction in his own body. Soon, he felt her responding to the kiss, and slowly he moved his hand up her arm and over her shoulder to thread through her hair. The kiss was slow and soft, but more passionate, more loving than he could ever have imagined. Without thinking, his other hand moved to entwine with hers, his thumb gently stroking the skin of her palm.  
  
Eventually, they couldn't ignore the need for oxygen, and they broke apart breathlessly. Lorelai leaned forward, leaning her forehead against his with a sigh.  
  
"Oh. My. God." She said. "That was…"  
  
"I know," Luke said, his eyes still closed as he continued to run his hand through strands of her hair. "I've waited a long time to do that."  
  
Lorelai took another deep breath, before raising her head, frowning, and smacking him on the arm.  
  
"Hey!" Luke snapped, taking a step back. "What was that for?"  
  
"If you weren't such a wuss, we could have been doing that for years." Lorelai frowned. "I blame you for depriving me of almost two decades of…" she paused, searching for the right word. "You know… there's no good way to describe that." She said finally. "But I missed out on it because of you."  
  
Luke chuckled. "Sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."  
  
Lorelai shrugged. "I forgive you. It just means that we have a lot of catching up to do."  
  
"I can handle that," Luke said, lowering his lips to hers once again. Pulling away, he smiled, running a thumb along her cheek. "I could get used to this."  
  
"Mm… me too," Lorelai said, returning his grin.   
  
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she spun towards the door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Luke asked, frowning.   
  
"I have to call Rory!" Lorelai said, excitedly. "She won't believe this!" Luke smiled. Lorelai's love for her daughter was half of the reason he had fallen for her in the first place. And he had to admit that he was excited to let Rory know about the next step in his relationship with her mother. Rory was just as much a part of his life as Lorelai was. Though he had never admitted it, even to Lorelai, he loved Rory just as much as he would have loved a child of his own. He had seen her almost every day since she was a toddler—had watched her go to school, grow up, start dating, and go off to college. She held a very special place in his heart.  
  
Without another word, Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him into the house, dragging him to the couch as she grabbed the cordless phone. She punched in some numbers from memory, and moved to sit beside Luke on the couch. He grabbed her hand, stroking her fingers as she listened to the rings on the other end of the line. He heard a faint voice, and figured that Rory had finally answered. He could only hear one end of the conversation, but he managed to pick up on most of it.  
  
"Rory! Guess what?... No, you have to guess… No… No… Come on. You can do better than that…"  
  
Luke rolled his eyes at Lorelai.  
  
"Ok…" she said into the phone. "I'll just tell you. Luke is sitting next to me right now…Yeah, I know I see Luke all the time… No… I'm not at the diner... No… he didn't invent a new flavor of pancakes."  
  
"Lorelai," Luke interrupted. "Just tell her already."  
  
"Fine!" She whispered to him, her hand over the receiver. "Ruin the surprise."   
  
She removed her hand from the mouthpiece. "Yeah, I'm still here… You won't believe it. Luke told me he loves me!"  
  
Luke winced as a screech filtered through from the phone. He was equally surprised when Lorelai issued a short scream of her own. He watched her, amused, and wondered for a moment what he had gotten himself into. Several seconds of unintelligible chatter followed, before he could again understand what Lorelai was saying.  
  
"I know!" Lorelai exclaimed. "We're like Sydney and Vaughn…Okay you're right. Not Sydney and Vaughn. Ben and J.Lo?...Yeah, you're right. I'm not that stuck up…"   
  
Luke rolled his eyes again, wondering how Lorelai could, in any way, compare him to Ben Affleck.   
  
Suddenly, he realized that the room had grown quiet. Lorelai had fallen silent as she listened to Rory speak. Luke watched, and frowned as he saw Lorelai's lips curl downward into a frown.  
  
"I know. I will. First thing tomorrow…" She said, her voice serious.  
  
Luke tapped her shoulder to catch her attention, and looked at her questioningly, hoping to discover what they were talking about. Lorelai waved him off, and he frowned, wishing that he could hear the other end of the conversation. Impatiently, he gestured to his watch. Lorelai nodded.  
  
"Hey sweets… Luke is getting bored…What?... Dirty!! Don't talk about your mother and the diner man like that!"  
  
Lorelai glanced at Luke, and laughed when she realized that he was blushing. Obviously, this seemed like important information to pass on.  
  
"Luke's blushing," she informed Rory. Luke glared at her, even as he heard Rory's laughter on the other end of the line.  
  
"Well, I'll let you go, sweetie. Study hard. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow…Yeah, I'm happy too. Love you. Bye."  
  
Lorelai hung up, and sighed happily.   
  
Luke moved to face her. "So what's happening tomorrow?" He asked, curious to know what the two girls had been discussing so seriously.  
  
"I'm breaking up with Jason." Lorelai said, without hesitation.  
  
"Oh…" Luke paused. "And you're okay with that?"  
  
"Of course," she said. "Jason wasn't… well, he wasn't you."  
  
Luke nodded, squeezing her hand in his.  
  
  
  
"Rory's happy for us," Lorelai said.  
  
"I gathered that both of you were happy, if the screaming was any indication," Luke replied. Lorelai smiled, sliding closer to him on the couch.   
  
"You know," she said. "I've thought about us as a couple before, and I always figured it would be weird. Since we've been friends for so long and everything."  
  
"And is it weird?" Luke asked.  
  
"No… It works. It fits."   
  
Luke nodded. "I'm glad."  
  
"Me too." Lorelai snuggled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. She yawned loudly. "I'm sorry… I'm so tired." She craned her neck to look back at him.  
  
"I bet," he replied, hesitantly moving his hand up to brush some stray hairs away from her eyes.  
  
"Yeah… failing businesses and pledges of undying love can really wear a girl out."   
  
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, I really love you. A lot."  
  
"Good," Lorelai murmured, stifling a yawn. "Otherwise, all that kissing we did was pretty pointless, wouldn't you say?"  
  
Luke smiled. "I wouldn't call it pointless." Lorelai smiled as he lowered his lips to hers again.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said as his lips left hers. "I love you too, by the way."   
  
"Glad to hear it," Luke replied. Without another word, Lorelai lowered her head to his chest, pulling him closer to her as she yawned again. Luke hesitated only for a moment, before wrapping his arm around her.  
  
"Go to sleep," he whispered, and even as said the words, her eyes began to drift shut.   
  
"Night, diner man," she murmured.   
  
"Night." He smiled, stroking her hair as she watched her, her chest rising and falling slowly, her soft breath tickling his arm as she slept.  
  
And for the first time in his life, everything was perfect.   
  
The End (??)  
  
A/N: So what did you think? I hope it lived up to expectations. I always consider sequels or continuations, if there is enough demand. Let me know if you have any good ideas :) 


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